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Central Kitchen + Bar opens downtown

The cocktails and calamari started flowing this week at downtown Detroit’s newest restaurant, Central Kitchen + Bar in the First National Building. Announced in March, the restaurant is a venture between Dennis Archer, Jr., and his partners Christopher Brochert and Ken Karam. It opened Monday at 660 Woodward.

The cocktails and calamari started flowing this week at downtown Detroit’s newest restaurant, Central Kitchen + Bar in the First National Building.

Announced in March, the restaurant is a venture between Dennis Archer Jr. and his partners Christopher Brochert and Ken Karam. Archer is the son of Dennis Archer, former Detroit mayor. It opened Monday at 660 Woodward.

Central Kitchen has a patio with a view of Campus Martius, and inside the open air dining room has booths for two people, larger booths and bar seating. There are about 130 seats in all.

In the open kitchen, cooks can be seen preparing the dinner and lunch menu, which has starters such as chicken wings, mussels, calamari, duck rillette and fried cheese curds. For entrees, patrons can choose among seven burgers and sandwiches or three flat breads. The menu also includes tacos, salads and heartier entrees such as shrimp and grits and lamb loin chops.

Eight signature craft cocktails and a dozen beers on draft — mostly craft and local beer (aside from Miller High Life and Labatt Blue Light) — make Central’s bar area likely place to perch after work. Some labels of note on the bottled beer menu include Belgium’s Chimay Red and Brasserie Dupont’s Saison and Atwater’s Vanilla Java Porter.

Central Kitchen + Bar is open during the week and dinner on Saturday and Sunday for now. Reservations aren’t accepted at this time.